I want to protect you and your loved ones from becoming victims of crimes by the catholic church and all abusers of human beings. I want to give survivors of sexual and physical abuse a voice to be heard all over the world. All abuse of children and adults by religious groups and by any organization or individual must be stopped. We can add our voices to a growing, worldwide community of people who want truth and justice. Please share your experiences with me and others on this blog.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Resigning from the Catholic Church: Pope Francis was hired to stop the exodus

Fewer and Fewer

The
catholic church is on the way out. Attendance
and number of churches has been declining for many years – faster since the pedophile
priest cover-up was headline news in the Boston Globe in 2002.

In
the U.S., of all the major denominations catholics have seen the largest
decline in members. Since the 1960s,
four American-born Catholics have left the church for each person who has
converted, according to a 2009 Pew study. From 2007 to 2014, 3 million people
left the catholic church. More than
1,000 parishes have closed since 1995, and the number of priests has fallen
from about 49,000 to 40,000 during that same period. Some 3,400 Catholic
parishes in the U.S. now lack a resident priest. “Catholicism is in decline
across America,” says sociologist David Carlin. Numbers of catholics are also
shrinking around the world in Europe and Australia.

There are some interesting statistics about
the slippery slope the church finds itself sliding down.

If
ex-Catholics were counted as their own religious group, they would be the
third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists,
according to the National Catholic Reporter.

If
it weren’t for the many Catholic immigrants, especially from Latin American,
the American Catholic Church would be shrinking even faster (CNN 2012).
However, according to a Pew Research Center report, many catholic Latin
Americans have left the church to become protestant. This is why the Vatican chose
Pope Francis (from Argentina) – to keep Latin Americans in the catholic church.

In
a study in the Trenton, NJ diocese some of the top reasons for leaving were:

ØThe sex abuse crisis
-- the church’s inadequate response to clergy sex abuse, refusal of bishops to
list pedophile priests on the diocese’s website and non-support of the effort
to lift the statute of limitations for survivors seeking justice in the courts.
Some of those responding said they had been victims of sexual abuse by church
leadership.

ØDissatisfaction with
the priest – words used were: “arrogant,” “distant,” “aloof” and
“insensitive”

ØUninspiring sermons
on Sundays -- messages from the priest, did not relate or “speak to” them. And
whenever the church wanted to raise money, they dropped the sermon and talked
about donations.

ØThe church hierarchy was
too closely tied to conservative politics. People felt that the church should
stay out of politics; it should certainly not threaten politicians.

ØThe status of women
-- the church is too involved in American politics relating to family planning,
women’s rights, not allowing women to become ordained.

Some
other statistics:

ØA 2014 survey in the
Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, found 4 major reasons for leaving: Not happy
with Church doctrine, losing interest in the faith and Mass, church sex
scandals or feeling unwelcome or judged by the Church.

ØOnly 30 percent of
Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing.

Ø10 percent of all adults
in America are ex-Catholics.

Ø79 percent of those
born or raised catholic and who are no longer catholic or have any religious affiliation
of any kind, made their decision by age 23 – this means that there will be no
one to fill the pews in the coming decades

Each
of us has personal reasons for leaving the church. On this blog I have talked often about the
reasons that I left. If you (the reader)
are leaving the church or have left it, let me know why. It may be for some of
the reasons above, or you may have other reasons to share with me and other
readers.

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About Me

When I was three and a half years old, I and my five year
old brother Frankie were raped by a catholic priest and put in St. Agnes Home and School in Sparkill, NY. I was beaten every day and then smothered by a catholic
nun. I didn't die but I was in a coma for almost year, leaving me brain damaged. After we got out, my
brother killed himself because he couldn't help me or accept the abuse we received. I want everyone to know
about the brutality and crime then and still going on in the catholic church. I want to stop
the crimes the church commits against our children and us and get justice for the victims. Give me your ideas
so that we all succeed in making this world safer for our children.